Sinclair v Creenaune [2022] NSWSC 230

Supreme Court New South Wales

Medium Neutral Citation: Sinclair v Creenaune [2022] NSWSC 230 Hearing dates: 21, 22 February 2022 Date of orders: 22 February 2022 Decision date: 08 March 2022 Jurisdiction: Equity Before: Hallen J Decision: The Court: (1) Orders that the whole of the proceedings be dismissed. (2) Orders the Plaintiff to pay the Defendant's costs calculated on the ordinary basis of the proceedings. Catchwords: SUCCESSION — PROCEDURE — Family provision — Plaintiff, a litigant in person - Application by Plaintiff for adjournment of the hearing during the course of the hearing — Consideration of procedural history and the overarching purposes of Civil Procedure Act — Application refused PROCEDURE - Where Plaintiff's affidavits read but she declined subsequently to enter the witness box to be cross-examined — UCPR r 35.2 — Plaintiff informed of consequences of her refusal, namely retrospectively treating affidavits as not read, but she maintained that she was not prepared to be cross-examined without legal representation - Plaintiff aware before the hearing commenced that Defendant intended to raise credit issues - Plaintiff's case fails for lack of evidence - Proceedings dismissed Legislation Cited: Civil Procedure Act 2005 (NSW), ss 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 66 Succession Act 2006 (NSW), Ch 3 Uniform Civil Procedure Rules 2005 (NSW), r 7.3, 35.1, 35.3, 35.6 Cases Cited: Aon Risk Services Australia Pty v Australian National University (2009) 239 CLR 175; [2009] HCA 27 Cairns v Cairns [2006] NSWSC 364 Cicek v Estate of late Solomon [2014] NSWCA 278 Collier v Hicks [1831] 2 B & Ad 663 Duraisamy v Sydney Trains [2019] NSWCA 269 Knorr v CSIRO (No 3) [2012] VSC 529 MacPherson v R [1981] HCA 46; (1981) 147 CLR 512 McKenzie v McKenzie [1971] P 33 Michael Photos t/as Phontos Legal v CBS Build Pty Ltd [2022] NSWDC 33 Pollock v Hicks [2015] NSWCA 122 R v Bow County Court; Ex parte Pelling [1999] 1 WLR 1807 Rajski v Scitec Corporation Pty Ltd (Court of Appeal (NSW), 16 June 1986, unrep) Re H [2002] 1 FLR 39; Re O, W, W-R [2006] Fam 1; [2005] 3 WLR 1191 Rowe v Stoltze (2013) 45 WAR 116; [2013] WASCA 92 Russell Caldar v Public Trustee of NSW (Master McLaughlin, 27 October 2004, unrep) Sali v SPC Ltd (1993) 116 ALR 625; [1993] HCA 47 State Pollution Control Commission v Australian Iron and Steel Pty Ltd (No. 2) (1992) 29 NSWLR 487 Tomasevic v Travaglini [2007] VSC 337; (2007) 17 VR 100 UBS AG v Tyne (as trustee of the Argot Trust) (2018) 265 CLR 77; [2018] HCA 45 Category: Principal judgment Parties: Donna Sinclair (Plaintiff) Noel Creenaune (Defendant) Representation: Counsel: Mr J Brown (Defendant)